Machete, S M (1997) Waste management in construction sites of emerging contractors in South Africa. In: Stephenson, P (ed.) Proceedings of 13th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15-17 September 1997, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract
Material management could be described as a planned procedure that includes the purchasing, delivery, handling and minimization of waste with the aim of ensuring that the requirements are met. There are indications to suggest that material management is of great concern in South Africa's construction sector, especially on sites managed by emerging contractors (young firms from the disadvantaged communities of South Africa with less than ten years in the industry). The cost of materials can exceed 50% of the cost of construction, depending on the type of construction. This proportion is high, and if appropriate measures of dealing with materials management are not adopted, there is a great possibility that the cost of materials may represent a larger proportion in the future. This indicates that an effective use and management of materials have an important influence on the company's profit, and consequently, the economy of the respective country. This paper reports on an empirical study of small contractors in the Northern Province in South Africa. The study indicates that material wastage in emerging contractors is primarily due to lack of skill, knowledge, supervision and a need for material management. This leads to ignoring the cost of material wastage and accepting waste as part of proper construction standards.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | material management; material wastage; cost and emerging contractor |
| Index terms: | waste management, empirical study, materials management, supervision, construction sector, South Africa, minimization, construction standard, profit, purchasing, construction site |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, procurement strategy, research methods, algorithms, Geography, work location, operations management, economic analysis, standards, control systems, waste management |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Procurement, Business Strategy, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Site Management, Digital Applications, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here